The Jets’ downward spiral continues with loss to Geno Smith, Seahawks

The Jets’ (3-9) woes continued as they lost 26-21 to the Seahawks (7-5) on a cold, sunny Sunday at MetLife Stadium after Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet scored a game-winning eight-yarder from 5 -Touchdown scored :31 left.

Gang Green has lost three straight games and eight of its last nine games. The team is 1-6 since Jeff Ulbrich became interim coach on Oct. 8.

Aaron Rodgers completed 21 of 39 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter, but Leonard Williams, drafted by the Jets in 2015, sacked Rodgers on third down.

The Jets had one last chance on fourth down, but Rodgers’ pass intended for Garrett Wilson fell incomplete and the Seahawks held on for the five-point victory.

“I tried to throw it inside at five,” Rodgers said. “The wind was a bit unstable. Maybe I should throw it a little flatter, but that’s what I need to hit. It was inconsistent, but I have to manage it.”

Breece Hall, who was dealing with a knee injury early in Sunday’s game, managed 60 yards on the ground but had a costly fumble in the third quarter. The fumble was Hall’s sixth of the season and the second he lost.

“I feel like this year has probably been the most stressful year of my life,” Hall said. “I just have a lot of expectations, a lot of expectations for myself, and I’m just not on the successful side of it.

“There are no excuses. If I can’t take care of the ball, I shouldn’t be in the game. I have to be better. Today I felt like I lost the game and I don’t feel good about it, especially because I’m a competitive person.”

The Jets led for most of the game but went scoreless in the second half after leading 21-16 at halftime. The Seahawks outscored the Jets 10-0 in the second half.

“The second half was definitely not clean football at all in all three phases,” said Ulbrich. “We need to take a close look at this tape. Just the surgery, the punishments, a little bit and lots of different things. We have to make sure we are cleaner there.”

In his return to MetLife Stadium, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed 20 of 31 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. Smith played for the first time Sunday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. In 2013, the Jets selected Smith in the second round out of West Virginia and he spent four seasons with the team.

The Jets defense has struggled against ball carriers in recent losses to the Cardinals and Colts. In the first half on Sunday, the Jets defense allowed just 124 total yards.

However, the Seahawks made the necessary adjustments at halftime and recorded 116 yards in the third quarter. The Jets’ offense also struggled in the third quarter, gaining only 46 yards. Gang Green had a potential scoring opportunity, but Hall fumbled at the 50-yard line and the Seahawks recovered and scored three points off the turnover.

It was a comedy of errors for the Jets in the fourth quarter. On 4th and 6, the Jets were called for having too many men on the field when Xavier Gipson ran onto the field thinking the Seahawks were going to punt. However, Seattle player Michel Dickson suffered from a back injury and the team kept the offense on the field. On the very next play, Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers was called for pass interference, giving Seattle a first down.

Then, when it looked like the Jets had stopped the Seahawks on fourth-and-1 at the 34-yard line, a horse-collar penalty on Solomon Thomas extended Seattle’s drive.

Gang Green committed 12 penalties for 83 yards. On the drive in which Charbonnet scored the game-winning touchdown, the Jets committed four penalties, including Will McDonald’s neutral zone violation that helped the Seahawks reach the eight-yard line.

“I always say this: The refs aren’t perfect, we’re not perfect,” Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “They think they see something, they’re going to raise the flag.

“I’m not going to sit here and talk badly about the referees, nobody is perfect. They did their job at the highest level, the way they wanted. We have to live with these results, and they do.”

After the two teams exchanged punts early in the game, the Jets got on the scoreboard on their second possession. On a drive that started at the 20-yard line, Rodgers completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams that gave them a 6-0 lead before Anders Carlson’s extra point was blocked.

After kickoff, the Jets got the ball right back thanks to a fumble by kick returner Dee Williams. Jets cornerback Brandin Echols recovered the ball at the Seahawks’ 27. Gang Green capitalized on the drive when Rodgers completed a shovel pass to rookie Isaiah Davis for a two-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 14-0 after Hall converted the two-point conversion.

Seattle responded in the second quarter when Smith completed a 12-yard pass to tight end AJ Barner, cutting the Jets’ lead to 14-7.

Gang Green extended its lead to 21-7 after Kene Nwangwu, who was called up from the practice squad before the game, scored a 99-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. He signed with the practice squad in September after spending his first three seasons with the Vikings.

Laviska Shenault Jr. parried the ensuing kickoff and Carlson recovered the ball for the Jets at the Seahawks’ 38-yard line. However, Rodgers threw an interception to defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who returned it 91 yards for a touchdown. Jason Myers’ extra point was blocked, keeping the game at 21-13.

“There were a lot of things, but I think the two-game stretch where I missed Garrett’s opening and threw a pick-6 changed the dynamic of the game,” Rodgers said.

According to Next Gen Stats, Williams reached a top speed of 17.84 mph, the fastest by a defensive tackle as a ball carrier since 2019.

Myers hit a 54-yard field goal just before halftime to make the score 21-16.

After neither team scored in the third quarter, Myers’ 43-yard field goal cut the Jets’ lead to 21-19 early in the fourth quarter. After a series of Jets penalties, Charbonnet scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to give Seattle a 26-21 lead with 5:31 left.

Right tackle Morgan Moses left the game in the first quarter after suffering a shoulder injury and did not return. Gardner (hamstring injury) and Brandin Echols (dehydration) also left the game in the fourth quarter.

Gardner said he will likely have an MRI of his hamstring on Monday.

“We’ll see what’s going on,” Gardner said. “I don’t think it’s too crazy. I’ve never had any hamstring problems, but I’m fine.”

The Jets will travel to South Florida in Week 14 to play the Dolphins for the first time this season. The two teams will also meet in the season finale on January 5th at MetLife Stadium.

Originally published: December 1, 2024 at 4:30 pm EST